Cannibals!

[clogan98]

I heard some screaming and went back to check on my chicks (7 weeks old). I found them pulling on the bloody neck feathers of one of my girls! She has two puncture wounds on each side of her neck. Small, almost like a beak mark. Could they have done this? And then gone after her once they saw the blood? What can I do? They've never done anything like this before. I do have one chick that is a definite roo and he does tend to be aggressive, especially for a 6 week old. Did he maybe do this? I am getting rid of him as soon as I can, I just haven't found any takers yet. And how do I put her back in with holes in her neck?

 

[Gargoyle]

You need to keep her separate until she heals- do you have blukote? It helps healing, and they don't like the taste so it could cut down on the pecking.

 

[Buffygirl]

Yes, one of the other girls probably has done this. Not from cannibalism, most likely just from a struggle to find a spot in the pecking order. And for the blood, go to the nearest feed store and pick up some Blue-Kote(it's a horse antiseptic that is purple. No worries, I used it on one of my girls before). This will cover the blood so the others won't pick at it.

It isn't that chickens pick at wounds because they are mean. There IS a reason. Out of every color of the rainbow (and beyond the rainbow) chickens can see the color red best. That's why waterer bases are red, that's why feeder bases are red, you get the idea.

It is ALWAYS a good idea to keep around a trusty bottle of Blue-Kote for all your emergencies like this!

 

[clogan98]

Thanks, I'm new to chickens and have never heard of Blu-Kote. Definitely going to be in my cabinet from now on!

 

[FarmersChild]

One way my Dad used to keep the chickens from pecking each other, (he was the Poultry Farm Advisor for UC Davis), was to "debeak" the upper beak of the birds. Although it sounds awful, and looks weird, it really works; Dad did it the whole time we had chickens as I was growing-up. They are still able to eat just fine, they just can't pick at each other like they otherwise would. (Debeaking usually requires removing about 1/2 of the upper beak of the bird. Sounds bad, looks bad, but it really helps the whole situation and - in the long run, keeps them from hurting each other.)